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Academic Support Services
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The Writing Center: The Write Place
Our mission is to help graduate and undergraduate students improve their communication abilities by providing services for writing, presenting, and critical thinking in all disciplines. Our student services include individual conferences, the Online Writing Lab (OWL), online writing, research, and interdisciplinary resources, weekly writing workshops, special graduate hours, and research and writing open lab. We also assist faculty from all disciplines in the effective use of writing in their courses through the Writing Specialist program.
Website is available: www.aucegypt.edu/academics/resources/WriteCen/Pages/default.aspx
Webmail: wcenter@aucegypt.edu
Information Technology
The University I.T. organization is headed by the Chief Technology Officer and reports to the Vice President for Planning and Administration. The CTO office includes Network Storage Solutions, IT Security, and IT Planning and Administration. The three central computing organizations - Administrative Computing Services, University Network Services, and Telecommunications - also report to the CTO.
Administrative Computing Services
The mission of the Administrative Computing Services unit (AdCS) is to maintain AUC’s critical administrative applications. Services provided by AdCS include application development, technical resource management, and the design and implementation of computer literacy and training programs for all staff.
AdCS has installed and currently supports over sixty software products, resulting in a set of automated information resources utilized in every major administrative area. These include: the enterprise resource-management system (SAP), the student information system (SIS-PLUS), the fund-raising and alumni-relations system (FUNDAL), the document-management system (Documentum), and office-automation applications. A host of front-end web-enabled interfaces interacts with these systems to provide on-line e-service access to students, faculty, staff, and administration.
University Network Services
The University Network Services unit (UNS) is responsible for planning, designing, developing, operating and managing the campus-wide data communications network. The campus network is based on a gigabit backbone with 4,700 switched 10/100 Mbps ports distributed throughout all campus buildings and satellite locations in Maadi, Zamalek, Heliopolis, and the Cairo Center building, supplemented by pervasive wireless network coverage inside and outside campus buildings. The network infrastructure is built to accommodate up to 7,000 ports. UNS actively monitors and manages the network, provides e-mail services for about 10,000 mailboxes, and is the first point of contact for the AUC community for network access needs, queries, and problems.
Telecommunications
The Telecommunications Office provides university faculty, students, and staff with high quality services in voice communications. Committed to guarantee a superior level of service to the university while planning for the future in a cost-effective manner, the Telecommunications Office is responsible for the procurement, installation, and maintenance of all telecommunications services and equipment at all university locations.
Office of International Programs
The International Programs Office (IPO) is responsible for the academic components of all international programs offered by AUC.
International Agreements:
IPO negotiates, reviews and maintains administrative oversight over agreements with international universities, in coordination with the Schools and the Provost. All Memoranda of Understanding and faculty and student mobility agreements are processed through IPO. However, agreements on research cooperation are processed through the Office of Sponsored Programs.
Exchange and Study Abroad for AUC Students:
IPO offers AUC students a wide variety of study abroad opportunities for a semester or an academic year in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. International study is an enriching experience that is valuable for students’ personal and intellectual growth and for their career prospects. In exchange programs, students pay the regular AUC tuition and fees, rather than the tuition and fees of the host university. In a Direct Enrollment Program (also called a Study Abroad program), students pay the tuition and fees of the host university. Under both arrangements, students cover the cost of transportation, housing, meals, and other living expenses. Academic credits transfer back to AUC under both arrangements.
AUC currently has 72 exchange and study abroad partners, half of which are in the United States. These include the University of California system, George Washington University, Pennsylvania State University, Virginia Tech, and Wellesley College in the United States; Concordia and Simon Fraser universities in Canada; St. Andrews and East London universities in Great Britain; Bocconi, Lund, Sciences Po, and Free University of Berlin in continental Europe; Bogazici University, The American University of Beirut, and Carnegie Mellon/Qatar in the Middle East; and Kansai Gaidai and Akita universities in Japan.
IPO facilitates arrangements for AUC students who want to study abroad in the summer on a Direct Enrollment/Study Abroad basis. These opportunities include University of California (Berkeley and Irvine) and academic programs in England, France, Greece, Italy, and Turkey.
Special Academic Programs for Groups from Foreign Universities:
IPO arranges academic programs for incoming groups from overseas universities, on a fee-for-service basis. These programs, tailored to suit the needs of the particular university, can last from one day, up to 8-weeks, and are held during the academic year, the winter term, or the summer semester. AUC professors often lecture to these groups and, when feasible, the students stay in the AUC dormitories. AUC partners have included St. Olaf College, Seton Hall University’s Law School, University of Zurich’s Law Faculty, University of Delaware, Grand Valley State University, Bentley University, Duke University and Princeton University.
Academic Advising for Incoming Study Abroad Students:
IPO handles the academic advising and registering for incoming study abroad and non-degree undergraduate and graduate students, both those coming on exchange and direct-enrollment basis. Students enrolled at public universities in the US pay the out-of-state tuition rate of their home university if that rate is lower than AUC’s tuition. Applications for study abroad at AUC are processed by AUC ‘s New York Office.
Undergraduate non-degree study abroad students can enroll in Arabic language classes and in regular undergraduate courses, usually at the 300-400 level. Graduate-level non-degree study abroad students enroll in masters’ level courses. As AUC is a US-accredited university, students transfer credits earned at AUC to their home institutions. Students come from as many as a hundred colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia.
Academic Advising for International Transfer Students:
IPO handles the academic advising and registering for international transfer students in consultation with the Registrar, Core Curriculum office, and the students’ disciplinary major.
Summer and Winter Sessions
A large number of students from Egypt and from more than thirty other countries normally attend AUC’s summer session. While the majority are pursuing degrees at AUC during the academic year, many students who are not regularly enrolled at AUC join the summer session from the second week of June through the third week of July to pursue studies of their own interest. Moreover, the university offers few accelerated courses during summer sessions. Summer A to begin second week of June and Summer B to begin first week of July; each session lasts for three weeks.
Students can choose from a wide range of courses which are usually offered during the AUC summer session. Besides those courses that are usually oversubscribed during the academic year, every effort is made to offer courses of special interest to international students, such as Islamic art and architecture, Egyptology, Arab society, and Middle East-oriented courses in history, economics, and management.
Intensive courses at all levels in modern standard Arabic and in Egyptian colloquial Arabic are also offered during the summer session by AUC’s Arabic Language Institute. This brings to the AUC campus more students from the United States and other countries to share with Egyptian students a truly international educational experience.
The winter session provides additional opportunities to students from the University and outside to take intensive courses for academic credit. The winter session courses are normally offered during the first three weeks of January.
Extracurricular activities are planned for the students and faculty, including trips and cultural events, such as performances of Arabic music and art shows. An informal athletic program offers basketball, volleyball, tennis, soccer, and table tennis. Seminars and special lectures by distinguished visitors are also an occasional part of the summer and winter sessions.
Housing, board, medical, and other university services are provided on the same basis as during the academic year.
Career Advising and Placement Services
Executive Director: M. Guindi
Director, Recruitment Services: M. Fakhry
The office of Career Advising and Placement Services (CAPS) is committed to provide quality service to students, alumni and employers in the areas of career planning and employment through a centralized comprehensive program.
CAPS educates students and alumni for life-long career planning. Assistance is provided in identifying career objectives, designing and implementing job search strategies, as well as exploring experiential learning, employment, and post-graduate opportunities.
The office fosters collaborative relationships with faculty, employers and the professional community at large to enhance a mutually beneficial relationship between our constituents.
CAPS supports employers’ endeavors, primarily in Egypt and the Middle East, in recruiting potential candidates for employment.
CAPS maintains equal opportunity compliance and follows affirmative action principles in conducting its services.
Career Advising
The program is designed to support the career planning endeavors of AUC students and alumni in individual and group settings through the following services:
- Individual Career Advising: Career advisors are available to counsel students and alumni on career related matters. Advisors assist in identifying different career options and support students in making occupational choices that are compatible with their skills and interests. Peer Career Advisors provide assistance in the areas of resume writing and interviewing.
- Self-Assessment: Students are encouraged to develop a better understanding of their personality types, interests, skills, and values to help them take well-informed career decisions. The self-assessment process is enhanced by the use of specialized inventories, such as The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Strong Interest Inventory (SII); both instruments are administered and interpreted by qualified professionals.
- Career Development Workshops
Each semester, CAPS conducts a series of workshops which are designed to provide students with the job search skills required for marketing their qualifications to employers. Topics covered include career planning, high impact resumes, job search strategies, power interviewing and your path to graduate study.
Career Exploration Preparation
To land satisfactory employment, students are encouraged to research their occupational interests, career options, and employers’ information; in addition to acquiring hands-on experience that complements their academic background.
- Career Resources Library: To support students’ career planning endeavors, CAPS career library hosts a wide variety of general career-related resources and corporate-specific recruiting materials.
- Career Mart: In the spring, AUC hosts an annual CareerMart, which allows students to meet with professionals from a variety of disciplines in an informal setting and explore various career fields and relevant career opportunities.
- Job Shadowing Program: CAPS helps students explore their career as early as their freshman year. Job Shadowing allows students to shadow a business professional in their field of interest for one or two days to see what a daily routine of that career is really like.
- Internship Program: CAPS organizes an internship program through which AUC students gain valuable work experience during the winter break or summer vacation. Students apply to the announced internships.
- Career Conference: The office organizes an annual career conference for junior and senior students to facilitate their transition to the world of work. The conference allows the students to network with corporate professionals and equips them with the necessary tools for their career planning and job search process.
Recruitment Services
Throughout the year, the office provides an interactive communication channel between AUC graduating students/alumni and employers seeking qualified job candidates. The program includes:
- Employment Fairs: Twice a year, AUC hosts local, national and multinational employers in an informal one-day recruiting event in order to promote a productive exchange of career information between employers’ representatives and AUC students and alumni seeking professional employment. Details on participating companies and available vacancies are published in an Employment Fair booklet.
- Vacancy Announcements: The office publishes a weekly e-jobs bulletin that communicates current employment opportunities to seniors and alumni subscribers via e-mail. Hard copies are posted weekly on CAPS bulletin boards.
- Resume Referral Service: The office maintains a resume data bank for alumni engaged in the job search process. The data bank is utilized to refer to the employer the resumes of interested applicants whose qualifications match the company’s requests.
- On-Campus Corporate Visits: To facilitate the interaction between students and employers, CAPS coordinates on-campus company recruiting visits which include corporate presentations, case study seminars and interviews.
For further information on CAPS programs and dates of career-related events, refer to CAPS website: www.caps.aucegypt.edu
Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action
Director: S. Selim
Equal Opportunity & Affirmative Action of the AUC (EOAA) is the embodiment of the American University in Cairo’s commitment to the value of equality and an environment free of harassment and discrimination.
The EOAA helps facilitate the development of students who respect the rights of others, diversity, and multiculturalism. Through training, joint events and activities, we provide students with the life-skills that effectively help establish their future identities, and assist them in their contribution to attitude changes in Egypt. EOAA helps prepare the students for challenging careers in national and multinational organizations that operate in a dynamic, diverse and multicultural global village.
Accomplishing the above, EOAA holds regular training sessions, seminars and symposiums on a variety of topics such as: integrating the disabled or the challenged, cultural sensitivity training, managing diversity, women’s issues, saying no to harassment including sexual harassment, what discrimination does to people, the societal integration of the aged and many more. EOAA also hosts several cultural oriented events that emphasize diversity and equality. Activities furthermore aim to link students to different entities working in these fields. Over and above that, EOAA has its own publication called Linkage (which is also available online) and a multimedia library that includes books, journals, videos about gender, diversity, equality, equal opportunity laws and practice.
EOAA also has a preventive and prescriptive role, helping prevent harassment and discrimination at AUC as well as promote awareness of these issues outside the premises to the larger community.
The office advises, counsels and educates all AUCians (students, faculty and staff) about their legal rights and responsibilities. When and if harassment or discrimination takes place, EOAA mediates or investigates such incidents, and takes measures to ensure that such incidents do not recur.
EOAA is the custodian of the University Policy on Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action and its Policy on Sexual Harassment that are applicable to all AUCians (students, faculty and staff).
For more information, visit our website:
http://affirmative.aucegypt.edu
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